How to take a screen shot on an iPhone

To take a screen shot on an iPhone, press the Home button and Power button at the same time, then release them.  You'll hear the camera sound effect and the screen will change to show that the screen shot was successful.

These instructions apply to iPhone models with a physical Home button.  For iPhone X instructions, see CNET's article.

Any screen shots taken can be found in the Photos app.

Apple vs. the FBI: Did the FBI bite off more than they can chew?

By now, the Apple/FBI standoff over gaining access to an encrypted iPhone is no longer breaking news.  This debate will continue to rage for some time, as neither side seems willing to give in.

Both sides make compelling arguments.  The FBI is fighting for the cause of national security, and Apple is championing privacy and free speech rights.  But one side stands to lose considerably more than the other.

If Apple loses, and the courts (or lawmakers) force them to create code that will allow backdoor access into an encrypted iPhone, or allow infinite password attempts for brute force entry, then a blow will certainly have been struck against the rights of individuals (and corporations) vs. the demands of a government.  However, Apple itself won't suffer.

No one will fault Apple or stop buying iPhones if Apple loses its court battle.  The company will be seen as having fought the good fight and done what they could in the face of big government.  However, if the courts come down against the FBI and rule in favor of Apple's right to not be conscripted to create software, then the FBI (and the government by extension) will take a big public relations hit.

The FBI typically doesn't "lose."  It will not be a good look for them if that happens.  Perhaps when the attempt was first made to coerce Apple into helping the FBI beat the iPhone encryption, no one at the Federal Bureau of Investigation thought it would turn into such a big debate.  Maybe they didn't even realize what they were asking for.  There are probably still a lot of people not employed by Apple or the FBI who don't understand all that's involved in cracking the encryption.

But now that the battle lines have been drawn, if the FBI does not come out victorious, they will be seen as the losers -- government henchmen obstinately trying to shoulder their way past the Bill of Rights.  We'll have to wait and see what happens; both sides will meet in court on March 22nd.

(Image courtesy of Pixabay)

How to force close apps on an iPhone

As you use your iPhone, various apps and programs are opened.  When you open an app and then hit the Home button to exit out of it, that app typically remains open.  While that usually doesn't cause a problem, with enough open apps your phone could start to slow down a bit.

Closing open apps on an iPhone is easy to do.  There's no red circle like on a Mac, and no X in the corner like on a Windows computer, but it's still a simple task to close apps that are running on an iPhone.

To close apps that are open, tap the Home button twice.  All of the open apps will be shown in a cascading line of tiles.  Swipe to either side to scroll through the list of open apps, and when you come to an app that you want to close, simply tap that app and, without releasing your finger, drag it up to the top of the screen.  It will be removed from the list of running apps (but won't be deleted from your phone).  Once you have closed all of the apps that you wanted to close, tap the Home button to return to the home screen, or tap one of the open apps to bring it to the front.

How to find the IP address of an iPhone

When your iPhone is connected to a Wi-Fi network, you can discover its IP address easily by following the steps below.  (These steps may vary slightly depending on your phone or iOS version.)

- From your Home screen, tap the Settings icon
- Select Wi-Fi on the settings list
- Select the network you're currently connected to

Your iPhone's IP address will be shown.  If you're not currently connected to a network, your phone won't have an IP address to display.